Van Buren & Wells
Rob Funderburk is a fellow Chicagoan. Originally from Indiana, Rob has spent the last 10+ years translating the city’s rhythm and color into drawings, paintings, and environments. Rob has worked through various styles over the years, from heavily layered abstraction to representational line drawings, all with a spark of energy and craft that Nadine and I both really admire. Most recently, he’s been documenting the downtown area in loose yet accurate sketches, elegantly capturing the spirit of his subjects in burst of activity.
A few months back, Rob approached us about helping him translate some of the ideas found in his most recent work into a screen printed edition. After an epic meeting (Rob’s got no shortage of great ideas) we settled on a printed improvisation based on Rob’s documentation of the Rookery building, in Chicago’s financial district. Rather than making a print based on completed drawing, Rob brought in photographs and studies from different angles and views of the building. Based on the references, he created the positives for the print by drawing directly onto film with opaque markers. Having never worked this way ourselves, we were totally blown away by Rob’s command of the medium and this technique in particular. He’d made a few prints over the years, but his attention to detail and overall thinking process for achieving colors, shadows, and hierarchy was a real treat to see in person. Starting with a peach base, Rob built the additional 5 layers by drawing directly on top of the previous printed color. Taking note of his various reference materials along the way to achieve a level of accuracy and energy that is really hard to achieve.
Creating a positive
Nadine and I talk about the “fluidity” of an image quite a bit when creating our posters, prints and paintings. In general, this is the number one criteria for creating a successful image. Fluid, in this case referring to the line work and the overall composition and rhythm, is probably the best way to describe this print. By reacting directly to the printed piece, direct to film, Rob created an image with certainty, purpose, and stature. The almost liquid line work really brings the image to life. Nadine and I were both really inspired by Rob’s working method and hope to incorporate it into our prints as soon as we get a chance.
Rob is hoping to make series of these prints, so be on the lookout. Until then you can keep up with him over at his site and his blog. The Rookery print is available here.
The Rookery Print
